Stories Left Untold
by rosemusic20
Summary: As Mel and Joe face a crossroads in their relationship, they also face a title wave of memories. Takes place in the aftermath of the season 3 finale. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Silence hung in the air between them as they stared across the room at each other. Mels fingers twisted together out of nervousness and Joes eyes lasered holes in the floor at his feet. She flinched as she felt a warm hand rest comfortably on her shoulder. She watched his eyes roll across the ground, willing him to look up at her. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

_She walked in the door. It had been a long day, and night for that matter. It had been two days since she had said goodbye to George. She pulled out her phone, her vision blurring, and squinted to read the time. '12:30 a.m.' It lit up suddenly with a text from Jackie._

_'Just wanted to make sure you got home alright. You did a lot of shots. lol.'_

_Mel fumbled with her phone to respond, her head spinning. 'Im fien. I git a caab ride so i didnt driv.' She didn't even notice the typos and quickly pressed send, shoving the phone back in her pocket. Her eyes surveyed the kitchen. It was spotless, as usual, thanks to Joe. She smiled at the thought of Joe, who would always be there for her. Her eyes fell onto the counter, where there was a plastic container. She stumbled over to it and read the piece of paper that was taped to the lid._

_'Hey, party animal, good to see you finally got home. Here is some left over Tiramisu. You're lucky, i stopped Ryder from eating it all. Anyway, eat this before you go to bed, it is packed with all sorts of yummy, but healthy stuff. And NO MORE WINE. You're probably already drunk. I know you. There is cake in the fridge. ~Joe'_

_Mel laughed at how well he knew her. She popped off the lid off of the container and began eating the contents it with her fingers, sighing as each delicious flavor filled her mouth. She licked her lips when she was done, closing the container and putting it in the sink, and went for the cake. Removing the plastic wrap and grabbing a fork out of the drawer, she paused, just staring at the cake and breathing in it's chocolatey smell. She pictured Joe, receiving the message she sent him, 'don't wait up for me', earlier that day and quickly whipping up her favorite meal and dessert, so it would be waiting for her when she got home. He had probably had a long day too. Yet, she guessed, it probably involved no hesitation, his decision to do that for her. Her hand quivered, and the fork fell out of her hand onto the floor. She felt her legs carrying her down the stairs into the basement, tiptoeing softly. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs._

_The sight of him sleeping, his body moving up and down slowly with his breath, his arm hanging limply off the edge of the bed, sobered her. She suddenly became aware of what her intentions had been; why she had came clunking down the stairs into this forbidden territory. She trembled at the carelessness of her own thoughts, quickly shaking her head. Yet she couldn't bring herself to leave, her feet stuck stubbornly to the floor. He was lying shirtless face down, the covers up to his waist, the lines of his toned drawing her, in her drunken state of mind, closer. She took a few steps closer, willing him not to hear the click of her heels as they hit the concrete floor, but also hoping, praying, to some extent, that his eyes would flutter open; that he would see her standing there, tired and wasted, that he would beckon her closer, that... She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out._

She just stood there, watching him, speechless.


	2. Chapter 2

Joe was still staring at the floor. The colors on the carpet began to melt together, hot tears swirling around behind his eyes, waiting for an opportunity. He crossed his arms defensively, swallowing his emotion. He glanced up for a second, his eyes tracing her blonde curls as they fell naturally around her shoulders.

_He drowned another glass of scotch, staring blankly at the table in front of him. He cursed the Scanlons, he cursed Tiffany, he cursed himself. Everything was ruined. His life was ruined._

_"Come on Joe." Tony sat across from him. "Perk up. Everything is going to be okay."_

_"No it isn't." He grumbled. "I lost my job, i lost my house, i lost my car, my marriage is screwed."_

_"Hey, hey, hey." Tony punched him on the shoulder. "Look around you."_

_Joe felt the weight of his head as he slowly lifted his gaze. He watched as his brothers image blurred in and out._

_"You are in a bar full of beautiful women."_

_"Tony, I can't." Joe muttered, his voice gravelly, "I'm not, i'm not ready."_

_"Come on, man." Tony insisted. "You need to get out of this funk. Can you think of anything else that will turn your aura around other than sex?"_

_Joe coughed. "Tony." He sputtered. "I can't. Besides there is nobody in here who i would even consider..." He trailed off, as his eyes fell on a figure standing at the bar. She was medium height, confident-looking, blonde hair swishing around her as she spoke animatedly to the bar tender. He watched the back of her, curiosity invading his mind._

_Tony noticed, and followed Joes glance. "Hello there." He said, smirking._

_"Wow." Joe whispered._

_She turned around for a split second, her blue eyes sparkling, laughter tumbling out of her open mouth. She playfully slapped her companion, a tall dark haired asian woman who was laughing while simultaneously doing something with her blackberry._

_Joe swallowed hard, his eyes glued to her lips sipping from the glass of wine she was holding._

_"Go talk to her." His brothers words were muffled and distant._

_Joe began to stand up, draining his glass quickly. He stumbled in her direction, but stopped when he was in earshot._

_"And that was when he looked me in the eye and he said, Mel Burke you are-" Before she could finish, her phone rang loudly. "Hold on a sec Rhonda." She lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello, oh hey! How are you?" Her eyes widened. "You're where?... You what?... Hold on i'll be right there." She grabbed her purse off of the stool next to her, and said quickly "I have to go. Family emergency." At the sight of the questioning look from her friend she added "My sister just got arrested. I'll pay you back tomorrow. Bye." With a swift wave she was hustling out of the bar._

_Joe backed away, staring at the floor, watching as his shoes seemed to melt into the wood, the colors swirling together. He heard the door open on the other side of the room. He glanced up for a second, his eyes tracing her blonde curls as they fell naturally around her shoulders._

****Then he looked back down.


End file.
